By Kathy Smyth
PICAYUNE — Paul’s Pastry Shop is used to being busy this time of year.
“During Mardi Gras season from January 2nd until Mardi Gras day, we’ll sell between 50,000 and 52,000 King Cakes,” said owner Sherri Thigpen.
King Cakes are a traditional New Orleans pastry consumed mainly during the Mardi Gras season from 12th Night through the day before Ash Wednesday.
Now, the bakery is also topping their traditional King Cakes with black-and-gold sugar in honor of the Saints, thus beginning what fans hope will become a new tradition for the Mardi Gras King Cake. The bakery is branching out with the new topping because the New Orleans Saints, whose colors are black-and-gold, are going to their first-ever Super Bowl.
Normally at this time of year, the bakery is in full Mardi Gras swing. The Saints going to the Super Bowl, though, has made this Mardi Gras even crazier than it is normally. Bakery employees have been taking orders for Super Bowl King Cakes, both in-store and over the bakery’s Web site.
The walk-in traffic is amazing to watch. Saints fans are looking to get their hands on anything that has a Saints’ logo on it, even if it means they plan to eat it later. On Thursday alone, the bakery was preparing to ship more than 200 King Cakes decorated in the Saints colors to 46 different states, even as far away as Hawaii and Alaska. Thigpen does want it known, though, that the bakery does offer Colts cakes also, but have only had orders for three so far.
Many local business have seen more business activity because the Saints have finally made it to a Super Bowl.
MeLinda’s Fine Gifts and More owner, Melinda Shaw, says that “business has been exceptional, a whole community coming together.” She has had tremendous success with shipping Saints-related items — people are wanting anything with a fleur-de-lis, the symbol decorating the Saints helmet. She has been shipping memorabilia to places such as Texas, South Carolina and has a special request for a fleur-de-lis mail box cover from a woman in Georgia.
Across the street from MeLinda’s, Galiano’s shop owner Debbie Galiano, said her traffic has increased immensely. People are flocking to her shop for her Saints and fleur-de-lis items.
She is featuring her “Disaint just a Breeze” t-shirts, designed by a New Orleans artist and sold exclusively at her shop. Debbie says it’s like “Fleur-de-lis, Who Dat Mania.”
Back at Paul’s Pastry, bakery employees are prepared for those who decide at the last minute, to celebrate the Super Bowl. The bakery will be open on Super Bowl Sunday from 1-4 p.m. for those who need last minute items for their Super Bowl parties. This is not something they normally do, Thigpen said, but then again, the New Orleans Saints don’t go to the Super Bowl every year either.
